LOWELL -- At the end of Franco American School's narrow driveway sits a dedication to a mother. It's one of the 14 Stations of the Cross, known as the Way of the Cross, at the school. This one honors Shelly McGrade who, in 2008, was fatally stabbed at the age of 35 by her common-law husband.

"Forever In Our Hearts," it reads.

Yet as the school is set to close at the end of this academic year, many wonder and worry what will happen to the property, including the religious stations.

"I don't know if I'd want to see anything else there," said Sydney

McGrade, Shelley's 20-year-old daughter and a Franco American school alumnus. "Each (station) is donated by someone. I think it's just going to affect a lot more" if they're taken down.

One of the stations of the cross at the Franco American School in Lowell.
SUN/JOHN LOVE

The site, for many, is a place to pray and worship at both the stations and the grotto.

The grotto is a sprawling cave featuring a life-size replica of Jesus on the cross, and a prayer book and candles within for public use. The Stations of the Cross is a 14-step prayer that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth. At each station, a specific event from that day is honored.

Lou Stamas, a 48-year-old Lowell resident, said he takes his children to pray at the stations often.

"They love it," he said. "What are they going to do with those? They spent a lot of money on that. I see people down there praying, and I hear a lot of people say they want to see it stay."

He is worried about its future, saying it's a place that he, his family and the community cherish.

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The Franco American board announced Feb. 22 in a letter to parents that this academic year would be the last for the 108-year-old school. The letter states that declining enrollment, decreasing revenue and increasing costs were factors in the decision.

Mehmed Ali, a board member, said the main concern now is with the students and staff.

"We want to make sure that the students have a place to continue their Catholic education and want to ensure that staff have continuation of employment," Ali said.

Speaking as a community member -- and not for the board -- Ali said of the Stations of the Cross that he would "hate to see them bulldozed."

According to Stephen Stowell, the Lowell Historic Board administrator, the school building is listed on both the national and state registers of historic places, offering it some protection.

The religious stations, however, are controlled by the school's board of directors, said Robert Audet, who serves as its chairman. Audet said members have not discussed the building's future.

Area residents, though, had a few suggestions of their own for what to do with the property.

Some hope for affordable housing for those in need. Others believe UMass Lowell will take over the site, which stands between the university's north and south campuses. Yet most hold the grotto, and religious stations, dear to their heart and don't want to see any of it destroyed.

"I don't care what is there, as long as the building stays," said Scott Laurin, owner of the nearby Laurin Funeral Home and a lifelong Lowell resident. "I would love to see the grotto stay. It's a huge part of the city."

Laurin attended Franco American when he was a child, as did his two younger daughters, he said.

"It's heart-wrenching to see it (close). I never thought we'd see the day," he said.

John Gonsalves, 73, who prays at the stations, said the building could be a good spot for homeless families. Ideally, though, "Don't touch anything," he said adamantly. "Leave that building alone."

Descendants of Roman Catholics who immigrated to Lowell in the 19th century have now moved to the city's suburbs, including Dracut and Chelmsford, said Richard Howe Jr., a Lowell historian and the North Middlesex register of deeds.

Those residents were replaced by non-Catholics, such as Cambodians, so parishes began to suffer.

"Catholic schools are now condominiums or vacant lots," he said.

The most recent example is the Sacred Heart School at Moore and Andrews streets in South Lowell. The school closed 13 years ago, and condos now stand there.

Changing demographics and history make the loss no easier, however.

"It's so sad. There's such an emotional attachment," Sydney McGrade said as she walked away from the site, headed to her classes at UMass Lowell.

Franco American School Timeline

1870s: The original building was a home built for Frederick Ayer, a prominent Lowell industrialist.

1890: Ayer moves to Boston.

1908: Ayer's estate remains empty for 18 years until the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate purchases it with the intention of providing a home for orphaned children of Franco-Americans and to ensure the continuity of the French Canadian heritage. Father Joseph Campeau, then pastor of St. Joseph Parish, travels to Quebec to solicit the collaboration of the Sisters of Charity.

Sept. 1, 1908: Four sisters arrive in Lowell to begin the new foundation.

Oct. 15, 1908: The first 16 orphans are welcomed.

1911: A contractor named Jean-Baptiste Morin undertakes the building of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes behind the building. It is a scaled replica of the original in France. Also, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, imported from France, is placed in the niche of the Grotto, and a statue of Bernadette Soubirous, to whom Mary is said to have appeared, is placed at the base.

1912: The need for expansion is evident, and Morin is hired to build it.

October 1912: Fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross are placed on the spacious grounds leading to the Grotto. At the end of the Way, a 6-foot statue of Our Lady of Deliverance, donated by Morin, is installed.

February 1913: The four-story rear brick building opens, and the children moved into the new spacious area.

1963: The Franco American Orphanage officially becomes the Franco American School, with an enrollment of residents and day students in grades kindergarten through eighth.

1978: The boarding-school facilities are discontinued in favor of a totally day-student enrollment.

1998: Franco American dedicates its newly renovated library in memory of Dr. Germain J. Bouchard, who served on the staffs of Lowell's three hospitals -- St. John's, St. Joseph's and Lowell General, who had established an endowment fund that enabled the school to purchase hundreds of books for the library.

2004: Franco American adds pre-kindergarten. Also, Franco American is granted accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

2008: Franco American celebrates its 100th anniversary.

2008-2012: Restoration of the 14 statues of the Way of the Cross begins immediately after the anniversary celebration, and is unveiled in 2012 for the 100th anniversary of the Grotto and the Way of the Cross.

Fall 2012: The seven stations of Our Lady of Sorrows are added in memory of Brian Kinney, a Franco American graduate who was killed in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The memorial is donated by Kinney's parents.

February 2016: Franco American's board of directors announces the school will close at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

Franco American School Timeline

1870s: The original building was a home built for Frederick Ayer, a prominent Lowell industrialist.

1890: Ayer moves to Boston.

1908: Ayer's estate remains empty for 18 years until the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate purchases it with the intention of providing a home for orphaned children of Franco-Americans and to ensure the continuity of the French Canadian heritage. Father Joseph Campeau, then pastor of St. Joseph Parish, travels to Quebec to solicit the collaboration of the Sisters of Charity.

Sept. 1, 1908: Four sisters arrive in Lowell to begin the new foundation.

Oct. 15, 1908: The first 16 orphans are welcomed.

1911: A contractor named Jean-Baptiste Morin undertakes the building of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes behind the building. It is a scaled replica of the original in France. Also, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, imported from France, is placed in the niche of the Grotto, and a statue of Bernadette Soubirous, to whom Mary is said to have appeared, is placed at the base.

1912: The need for expansion is evident, and Morin is hired to build it.

October 1912: Fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross are placed on the spacious grounds leading to the Grotto. At the end of the Way, a 6-foot statue of Our Lady of Deliverance, donated by Morin, is installed.

February 1913: The four-story rear brick building opens, and the children moved into the new spacious area.

1963: The Franco American Orphanage officially becomes the Franco American School, with an enrollment of residents and day students in grades kindergarten through eighth.

1978: The boarding-school facilities are discontinued in favor of a totally day-student enrollment.

1998: Franco American dedicates its newly renovated library in memory of Dr. Germain J. Bouchard, who served on the staffs of Lowell's three hospitals -- St. John's, St. Joseph's and Lowell General, who had established an endowment fund that enabled the school to purchase hundreds of books for the library.

2004: Franco American adds pre-kindergarten. Also, Franco American is granted accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

2008: Franco American celebrates its 100th anniversary.

2008-2012: Restoration of the 14 statues of the Way of the Cross begins immediately after the anniversary celebration, and is unveiled in 2012 for the 100th anniversary of the Grotto and the Way of the Cross.

Fall 2012: The seven stations of Our Lady of Sorrows are added in memory of Brian Kinney, a Franco American graduate who was killed in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The memorial is donated by Kinney's parents.

February 2016: Franco American's board of directors announces the school will close at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

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